Christchurch

Welcome to Christchurch.NZ.com, a website dedicated to providing information about Christchurch, New Zealand. Find
your perfect hotel or other accommodation for your
stay, or book something to do in the tours or
activities section.

Christchurch is in recovery following a series of earthquakes from September 4, 2010.
The most damaging earthquake was on February 22, 2011; when 185 people lost
their lives. The central business district has a mix of brand new high specification buildings, restored buildings,
old buildings showing earthquake damage, and empty sites cleared after demolition. Christchurch provides is a unique view on a
city rebuilding - which makes it a must see destination.

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island, with a population of over 300,000.
The Garden City was also, pre-earthquakes, the most attractive city
in New Zealand, with extensive inner city public gardens and parks, the shallow Avon river meandering
though the city centre, and a pedestrian oriented downtown centred on Cathedral Square.
Redevelopment plans intend to restore central Christchurch around the featured garden areas and Avon river.

Christchurch was a planned settlement founded by English colonialists. This rich English
history is still apparent in the city's atmosphere; tram lines loop around the city, you
can punt down the Avon, and the city was scattered with impressive Neo-Gothic buildings.

Christchurch enjoyed the largest collection of Gothic architecture in the country, with
Christchurch Cathedral (in Cathedral Square),
the Canterbury Museum, Christ's College School, and the former
University of Canterbury, which was converted to the cultural centre of Christchurch, the
Arts Centre. Post-earthquake, the Cathedral is a shell and the
Arts Centre has suffered extensive damage.

Christchurch is also a city which embraces festivity, with a continuous stream of events
and festivals throughout the year, including the Christchurch Arts Festival,
New Zealand Cup and Show Week, the
World Buskers Festival, the Lyttelton Festival of Lights,
the Ellerslie International Flower Show and the Antarctic Festival - each celebrating
particular aspects of Christchurch's unique character.

Christchurch contains one of the two main international airports for the country, and is
connected via a tunnel to a seaport at Lyttelton on Bank's
Peninsula. It is the Gateway to the South Island and is the perfect place to launch your New
Zealand holiday.

Christchurch News

Unexpected Places: Christchurch's shoe shop since 1880The PressBehind the small weatherboard shopfront of McGregors Footwear Repairs on Christchurch's Lincoln Rd, Adam McGregor toils daily. He is the fourth owner of the business, considered the oldest shop on the busy retail street. "It's been a shoe shop ever ...